Culled from bbc.co.uk
Ndito eka,
Greetings to “my people” from all my Ibibio friends in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. You are a valued partner because you are one of our constant readers. It is a privilege that we do not take for granted. It has been a while, hope you are good? It is another wonderful time of the year, Easter, is here.
My attention was recently drawn to something that has become a fad most especially among netizens. Many of our Grandparents are not online and when it is their special days like birthdays and anniversaries, we do post it online and our friends comment on it felicitating with us on their milestones but unfortunately, they do not see it and it is of no value to them. At our own end, we have celebrated them. Let’s think about social media vs social life.
Social media as defined by the Oxford dictionary, include the websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. In fact, long lost contacts have been restored by social media while some individuals have been made by being tagged “Social Media Influencers”. Also, brands have been made or marred through social media. In fact, they have made life easier through call applications on these social media platforms too, this in turn, reduces the amount spent on airtime and there are lots of opportunities for virtual relationship online.
Social life is the real interaction and physical networking that we have with others. This include our phone calls, physical visitations, meetings and in fact, partying.Social life is generally the time spent in society outside of a structured work environment. Social life is time spent with peers, or friends and family, usually in a relaxing and entertaining manner.
As said by Aristotle, “Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god. ” This implies that we cannot totally ignore some of these activities that make up our social life. We cannot because of the additional value that social media has brought to us and we decide to abandon our social life.
According to Psychologists, our social life is one of the most important influences on our mental health. Without positive, durable relationships, both our minds and our bodies fall apart. Our social life is all dependent on the social structure that is the stable arrangement of institutions where human beings in a society live and interact together. Older people live better, healthier and longer when they have their relatives always around them.
Let’s complement our social life with social media and not abandon our social life because of social media. The strange thoughts on social media that has led to suicide could be avoided if our social life is properly aligned with the social structure.
Cheers!
Olutayo
Versus Series is a regular motivational piece of Peo Davies Communications, Nigeria. Join the conversation online by visiting www.peodavies.com; like our facebook page- www.facebook.com/peodaviescomms/ or follow us on twitter- @peodavies
